Munster Schools Chase Interpro Title

The Munster Under 18 Schools side, sponsored by Trend Micro, host Leinster in an Interprovincial decider at CBC’s Lansdowne in Cork on Saturday (ko 2:30pm).

The Schools team have already accounted for Connacht and Ulster away from home and a third win in Cork on Saturday will seal the Interprovincial title.

Head Coach Mark Butler conceded that Leinster will be the favourites but his side are looking forward to playing at the Cork ground.

“With us being the Munster Schools team it’s fantastic to play the game against Leinster at a schools venue. There really is an unbelievable facility in CBC, it’s a credit to them and we’re only too happy to showcase that,” said Butler.

“In terms of the game itself, the history books will tell you that Leinster have a very strong tradition in winning schools Interpros. We know we’re going into the game as underdogs but at the same time it’s a challenge we’re looking forward to and we’re looking forward to welcoming Leinster down to Cork.

“I think there will be a great atmosphere, all you have to do is look at our travelling support so far. There was a lot of Munster support up in Ravenhill on Saturday, family members and everything going around and clapping the players off the pitch. All of that is a factor and it all contributes towards the end result,” Butler added.

The campaign started with a convincing win in Connacht before last weekend’s impressive 22-7 win over an Ulster side who had held Leinster to a 17-all draw in Dublin the previous week.

“Up in Connacht they did ask a lot of questions of us and it certainly made us reflect on our performance and where we were at,” admitted Butler.

“But we did finish the game strongly so we certainly took a lot of positivity from that and full credit to Connacht they certainly brought a lot of intensity to that fixture.

“With the Ulster game we really embraced it as a massive challenge going up to Ravenhill. It’s always a tough environment to play in but we went up there with a lot of belief and a lot of honesty and I think that was reflected in the performance.

“We were delighted to come away from there with the win. They really are a special group and they’re fantastic guys to work with,” he added.